Hallows: Pretty Snakes & Devils

It Just Feels Like Winning

Upon A Body- Exterminate

Dante

There's something different about B.B. There's a gleam in her eyes that wasn't there. A certainty she's never had before. Seeing her up there, seeing the little robot prototype, and watching her blow the minds of these feeble mortals is something special. As special as seeing Delilah on stage. My little troll isn't a baby anymore. My need to protect her is stronger than ever, but I don't want to stand in her way. The way she looked at me when she heard my voice is everything. I'd never allowed myself to see that until now.

"Do you feel that?" Ashley whispers taking my hand. Carson is leading B.B. away from the press and the scouts who are trying to get her attention. Those two are always up to something.

"We should go," I nod.

This might not have been an arena filled with worshipping souls but the essence is just as potent. It's a small group but the essence drifting along is the essence of our future. Dictators, inventors, and power-hungry kids learning their place in the world and they've just got a glimpse of the person who is going to allow them to be who they are.

"Where is David?"

"Ahsan called him away," I answer. We walk past the crowd and make our way down the street to head into the city.

"Are you guys bailing?" we both stop and turn around to see B.B. standing at the entrance of the alleyway. Teleportation. That's a power handed down to really powerful Reapers. Reapers who have made a difference. Reapers who met their end violently.

"We're looking for someone," I nod.

"We're running out of time," Ashley adds.

"Okay, then," she nods and tucks her hands behind her back. She looks adorable in the lab coat.

"Hey," I let go of Ash's hand and reach for her. "That was amazing. I know you can't give them everything but holy s**t, Pinky. That is one hell of a f*****g start,"

"Yeah," she nods. "Well, I have a thing," she points behind her. "Thanks for coming,"

When I reach for her she vanishes into black smoke. I laugh taking a step back. Belladonna doesn't give herself enough credit for the things she's accomplished.

"You okay?" Ash asks.

"Yeah," I lie and turn back the way we were going.

"Dante," she takes my hand. "We can't be interfering in her life. We're already causing enough damage by keeping David alive,"

"I know. It just feels wrong to walk away. I can't even show myself at Delilah's show without alerting the other Hallows of my presence,"

"B.B. isn't some kid, Danny," she sighs. "She's our kid. They both are. They fine. Delilah has dark f*****g Jiinns and devils helping her make deals with some of the best lyricists of her generation. She's married to the third most powerful demon in hell and the f*****g Stolkhom kid is in love with her.

"B.B. has six master criminals licking the bottom of her feet. She's got a multi-million dollar side hustle and is about to get recruited by the richest f*****g Reaper in existence,"

"I kind of don't want her hanging out with Elon," I shake my head.

"She's going to destroy him," she smiles. "You're worried about nothing,"

"Why are you being so cavalier about this?"

"B.B. said something to me the other night," she pulls me with her. Whatever that f*****g little monster said hurt her feelings. I can see it in her eyes. "We shouldn't be as involved with their lives as we are, Danny,"

"We're not the only ones,"

"What does that mean?" she asks.

"B.B. is talking to someone. Below, I mean. She's not killing David, not because she feels indebted to me. She's right. If she gives Chance what he wants, he will start taking shots at Lucifer. Just like B.B. is taking shots at both the hunters and the Fringe,"

"It's like having two of them," she growls.

"B.B.'s a lot worse," I admit.

"There is no way our kid is a lot worse than Lucifer's,"

"Think about it, Ash. He's one step away from getting his way and she's holding it over his head. The kid has no defenses. You saw the same thing I did back at the house. She has that thing wrapped around her finger,"

"Okay, and think about when he stops listening to her. We're all going to pay for it,"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it,"

"Dante," she pinches the bridge of her nose. "I just-'

"Ashley," I cover her mouth to stop her from ranting. Ashley hasn't changed a bit. Always worried about what can happen instead of what is happening. "We need to buy them some time. The boys are on their way and you know there is no way in hell B.B. is going to let David do this s**t on his own. It might not seem like it to you but she's prioritizing. Her biggest concern right now is working on the f*****g arch she wants to put up,"

"Why are we going along with this?" she sighs. "We're just letting her carry all that responsibility,"

"We are, Ashley. Think of it this way, Baby. We're here with them. If it wasn't for this demon, she'd be dealing with this alone. No us and no Delilah. If it wasn't for the demon, there would be no B.B."

"Okay," she looks away. "I just- she's so grown. This time last year, she was writing me phenomenal encouragement poems and talking about Lucien and Carson like a virgin school girl and now I am one hundred percent sure that the thing she had to do when she poofed away is Carson, Dec, and the other one who's name sounds like ass. God, what did she offer the demon? What is worth David's life and all the destruction that comes with it?"

"You don't think she'd offer up the boys to him do you?" I grin. She covers her mouth and looks back at me worriedly. "I am joking," I laugh. "Mostly,"

"Dante," she smacks my arm. We both laugh. "We're here," she looks up at the building right in the middle of the city. "What do you want to do?"

"You have been stuck at David's all week with a f*****g bitchy ass human. Do the honors, kitten," I hold my arm out. She puts her hand on my wrist and pushes up on her tiptoes to give me a peck.

"I love you, you know that?"

"And you wonder where B.B. gets the crazy from," I shake my head.

"She gets it from you," she scoffs.

"If that lets you sleep at night, Ashley," I laugh.

"Get up there. Ping me when you're in position," she smacks my arm.

"I love it when you take control, Ash. Gets me all tingly," she yelps when I tap the back of my hand on her ass.

Ash can worry about B.B. and David all she wants but it doesn't change the fact that she loves this new job. She was very upset when she first struck her deal with Chance. He took the one thing that was completely hers. She can't read the notes anymore. The years and years of muscle memory are gone. All that's left is the cruel reminder that she'll never be able to play again. Every time we hear her music she retreats further into the darkness. It's what he does. He takes what matters to us most. For me, it was my life with my family and he gave us access to them to remind us that it would be easy for him to take it all away.

This mission for example. Tamara Whitmore struck a deal with him eleven years ago when Stacy accidentally took one of Rudy's pills and she's been on the run for an entire year. Not a single demon has been able to catch her. I had her in Paris and Ash had her in Bora-Bora but the slippery little b***h gave us both the slip. I expect nothing less from her, but she can't be alone out here anymore. Lily and Ashley need her in the pit before David is B.B. chow. She's the missing piece in their little crew and Chance said she could have them. Kelly isn't ready to face Carson and has opted out of the war for now. That leaves Carter. It has to be Carter and Lily feeding B.B. information from below. s**t, I'm even throwing in Tony for good measure. If that's the case, I need to know what they know.

I push my essence into my ring to let Ashley know I'm here. I hold my arm out materializing my shotgun. I shut my eyes focusing on Ashley's aura. I feel it when she gives in. The blazing heat that is Conquest. I open the door that leads out into the corridor. The entire hallway changes as soon as I turn in the direction of the apartment she's in. The light drains away. The walls decay and the carpeted floor is soaking wet.

Fomorians. f**k. I f*****g hate Fomorians. Of course, Rudy gave her the f*****g means to control these things. Ginger f*****g asshole. A loud battle screech is called from the other end of the hall and it's answered by several other underworld leeches. The sound of one pattering towards me is the only thing I have to go on to locate one. I reach for the golden lighter B.B. gave me.

As soon as I get the flame going I fire my shotgun blowing one back to hell. I tap my side pockets and find the little emergency pack B.B. gave me. There's a mini flashlight in here. I turn it on and loop my middle finger through the key ring. This tiny thing is bright as hell but the darkness in here isn't natural. I lean against the wall and illuminate my way as best I can.

Fomorians are the worst kind of summoning familiars. They come from the deepest parts of the ocean both here in the world of the living and in hell. They're not very powerful alone, but in swarms, they can inflict some real damage. They're big, disgusting, and will eat whatever their master serves them and right now, that's me and the little monster that swears she hasn't grown four inches since becoming Conquest. I'm not complaining, I just wish she'd stop denying it. The amount of power she channels requires a bigger vessel. Momma Ash has nothing on Conquest Ash. No offense to the mother of my two beautiful little flowers. It just feels like winning every time I look at her as of late.

The entire building shakes and it distracts me enough for one of these things to attack. I summon my scythe dropping my shotgun to catch it before his round mouth latches onto me. I fall back landing on the soggy carpet. I lift my legs and kick it up over my head. Another one launches itself at me. I turn my blade just in time for it to impale itself on it. I swing my legs toward me and then forward jumping into a crouch. I reach for the flashlight and then look for my shotgun. I can't see it.

"f**k," I growl.

I didn't want to do this in case there are other humans here. The last thing I need is to draw B.B.'s and Stacy's attention to us but f**k it. I wave off my weapons and tuck the flashlight into my chest pocket. I feel around behind me to make sure I'm against the wall. I take a deep breath and immediately regret it. The salty scent isn't for me. I've never been a beach guy. I roll my sleeves up and place my hands flat on the wet carpet. I can hear screeches coming from both ends of the hallway. I release the air in my lungs and push my essence out. It surrounds me and starts to pulse urging me to release it.

The clicking sound of my Reaper comes from in front of me. She places her hands on my shoulders and releases it. The Fomorians all cry out and try to run as her decay floods the hallway. I feel it when the edges of my essence when it pierces right through them. Sixteen in total. Their hot sticky essence is not something I'll ever enjoy. In fact, the only thing good about this is that I won't have to feed for a while.

The lights flicker on and the decay along the walls begins to disappear. I see my little black pouch on the floor a few feet away from me. I snatch it up and walk to the door where Tam is waiting for us. Ash is already inside. I feel it. I felt it. I'm willing to bet she got carried away and ran up the side of the building causing as much destruction as she could. I push the door open and sure enough the entire back window is blown out. Tam is laying on top of a broken coffee table panting.

"You win. She tried to fight me," Ashley smiles at me. I laugh going over to Tam.

"Come on, Villanueva. I wasn't going to make it easy for either of you. How long have we been best friends?" she laughs dusting the glass off her vest. She's dressed to kill. Good. She's going to need it where she's going.

"I can't believe that f*****g demon asshole sent you," she glares at me.

"You were not easy to track," I admit. "Rudy trained you well,"

"Yeah, he did," she sighs.

"You look tired, Tam,"

"I am. Lately, I barely catch my breath before I'm running again. When I saw it was you guys, I wanted to see the girls one last time. They look amazing,"

"When'd you get here?" Ash asks.

"Last night. Rudy just left. He didn't want to be here for it," she shrugs.

"Am I missing something?" I ask tilting her head to see the dark hickeys on her neck. "The way the kids see it is you left and Rudy is now a twink lover,"

"That's what we wanted,"

"He's poisoned," Ash laughs. "How long does he have before Rudy's poison kills him?"

"A couple of weeks. Less when he feels me die," she shrugs. "Rudy is taking his place. It was the only way for him to get in to keep the kids safe. That and the twink is good with his mouth,"

"You guys are nuts," she laughs.

"Me, look at you two. Danny looks like he finally discovered the gym and you grew into your teeth," she teases.

"f**k you," Ash flips her off. The three of us laugh until she starts to cry. I pull her into me. "Is it going to hurt?"

"Not even a little," I promise.

"You need to be prepared though," Ashley comes over and hands her the katana she stole from one of the mobsters in Paris. "You need to find Tony. He's in the pit right now,"

"What is Tony doing in the pit?" she asks.

"My mom and B.B. want Lilith's Grimoire. One of Lilith's oldest lieutenants lives down there. He's friends with Delilah and her demon. Ash sent him down there when he refused to let Lily go back," I explain.

"I thought Lily liked being down there," she shakes her head.

"She does. That's the problem," Ash laughs. "Don't trust anyone. Not even the demon. Stay with Tony as long as you can,"

"How long do I have to stay down there?" she takes a step back.

"Until Rudy gets you out," Ash says quietly. She looks between us and nods.

"Okay, I'm ready," she holds her hands out and shuts her eyes.

"It's already done," I look back at the table where her body lays. She gasps covering her mouth.

"You killed me?" she looks over at Ash.

"No, I did. As soon as your hand met mine. I didn't reach for your hand. I reached for your soul," I look back at the doorway when the sound of my Reaper's happy chittering makes her jump. "All you have to do is take her hand now. We'll see you later,"

"Now I see why Rudy was scared of this thing. Holy s**t, Danny," she groans. "Okay," she shakes her hands out and hops up and down a few times. "Turns out the easy part was dying,"

"We'll see you on the other side," Ashley hugs her. I tap her head. My Reaper stands up for her and holds out her hand.

"You have some serious issues, Danny," she shakes her head and takes the Reaper's hand. The two of them disappear.

"This is the first time I ever let a soul pass like this," I place my hand on my chest feeling her warmth flood through me.

"Why are you wet?" she asks.

"She used f*****g Fomorians," I growl. She laughs leaning in to smell me.

"Salty," she leans in and licks my neck.

"Baby, no. Those things are f*****g gross," I move away.

"And? It's not like I can get any more dead," she laughs. Her f*****g creature ruins the moment when the goat part screams. "Aww, man. That's the hell call. His dumbassness is calling. We should stop by the house first,"

The two of us go over to the window. Ashley jumps right onto its back. When I jump the fucker moves and I fall belly first. I slap my hand against its back making him growl at me angrily.

"You did that s**t on purpose, you f**k," I growl back. It arches up and I stumble forward almost falling on top of Ash.

"Dante, sit down. He gets ticklish," she scolds me. I drop letting all my weight fall. He growls and takes a dive. I bury my hands in his fur. The ugly beast thinks he's cute. I hate him. Ashley doesn't even flinch. She just turns around to face me. "She told me that she feels guilty that we're around and that the others can't have that. That it's better to keep us at arm's length,"

"Is that what you want?" I ask her because it sure as f**k isn't what I want. She's going to have a kid soon with the way things are going and I want to see it.

"No, but we've never let her have what she wanted. It's why she's a f*****g problem now," she falls back into my arms. "We could have waited centuries to have these things. Why did we do this so soon? That was so f*****g dumb,"

"Jesus, baby tell me what you're really feeling," I laugh.

"Okay, hold on. We're going through the gate," she wraps her arms around my waist.

The one cool thing about this ugly f*****g chicken thing is the way it travels through the veil. He dives just over the hell stone's trunk. The screaming of the damned blares out as the ground opens up and swallows us up. It's the closest thing there is to waves of screaming fans. The warmth coming off the hellfire feels just like feeding the stone as well. It feels like coming home.

"Hey, look Carter got new hounds," I point toward his house.

"Lily is there too," she sits up. "Those f***s. We need to know what they told B.B."

"Oh, what happened to giving B.B. some space?" I laugh.

"f**k that. When have I ever given B.B. what she wants?" she huffs. She stands up and jumps off the beast.

"No," I shout but it's too late. He jumps up bucking his hind legs. The fat s**t sends me flying. Trixie jumps out of my button-up and expands. I land on her head. She immediately turns her rage to the beast and hisses at him. "Not so smug now, you filthy c**k,"

"Danny," Ashley growls.

"He started it,"

"Dante, you are literally Death. Act like you have some sense," she huffs. Trixie hisses at her and lowers me. "Shut up, Trix. I'm not scared of you anymore. Look at my thing," she points at the beast. "He's little now but just wait until she's a big girl,"

"That's not going to grow anymore, Ash," Carter and Lily come out of his house. "You on the other hand are bigger and I'm not saying that because you're pregnant again,"

"What? Is that thing?" Lily asks. "You can have another one?"

"I'm having three more," she brags. "But no. It's not a thing. Female demons can only have kids if they're impregnated by a high demon,"

"Aren't you guys high demons?"

"Nah, we're horsemen, and don't change the subject, missy," she waves her finger at her.

"We've literally only talked about pregnancy and you getting taller," Lily laughs.

"Then consider it an advanced don't change the subject," she shrugs. "We have a bone to pick with you motherfuckers,"

"Which one?" Carter rolls his eyes.

"There's more than one?" Ash shoves him.

"Yeah, several skeletons more," he shoves her back. "Jesus, Danny what the f**k are you feeding her?"

"Don't answer that, Danny," Lily smacks my arm. The four of us laugh.

"We know you assholes are talking to B.B.," I glare at her.

"She'd never give us up. What did the demon do?" Lily crosses her arms over her chest.

"This i***t's i***t son attacked him and the oldest virgin boy I know turned around and tried to kill David. B.B. had to threaten him,"

"Was she able to?" Carter grins.

"Oh, yeah. She made him apologize to two of her devils," I nod.

"Let's go, Blackstone. You finally created something useful," he smacks my arm.

"f**k you, Carter," I growl at him. "If Del ever hears you say that she'll probably cry,"

"Del is more like this one," he kicks at Ash. "She'd probably take a swing at me and call it a day. I don't know what you're talking about, Danny,"

"Yeah, right," Ash says. "Come on, guys. B.B. is taking serious risks up there. We all need to be on the same page even if we don't tell her the two of us know,"

"Okay, yes. It's us, but we are sworn to daughter-mother-father-in-law secrecy. She gives us Carlien updates in great detail and enthusiastically. I swear that girl has Danny's rockstar charisma when she talks about something she loves,"

"Facts," Carter nods.

"It is them," Ash lets out a sigh of relief. "Okay, who else is part of this?"

"All of us. We all get wrecked when she calls. She gets all giggly with certain strains," she laughs.

"This f*****g kid," I groan.

"It's best when Stacy and Dylan are with her. Whoever raised that kid did an amazing job. Bradley is a freak and Dylan is such a cutie pie,"

"Did you guys know he's f*****g Nat and Marcos?" I ask.

"What?" they both shake their heads.

"Yeah, B.B. has been f*****g with my father's research. Look at this," I take the little pouch out and show them the syringes. "Serum on the go. She's been testing it on the other Reaper,"

"What other Reaper?"

"Damian Stockholm," Ashley answers.

"f**k. Grant's kid? Should you be letting B.B. near him?" Carter shakes his head. "Near Carson or any of the kids?"

"He seems chill. And he's team Delilah,"

"Which serial killer's son is your other daughter dating?"

"Widow's," Ash laughs. "And Vic is a sweetheart. B.B. really loves to flick death on the nose. Straight doesn't give a f**k,"

"Yeah, you two Emo f***s spawned her," Lily laughs.

"Seriously, tell us what's going on, guys," Ash pushes.

"Sorry, Babe. But until she's ready, you two aren't to be included. We're gang-gang," she looks over at Carson. He has the audacity to f*****g fist-bump her. "And right now, she's got all the power,"